New acoustic signal processor operational on Canadian Auroras

19 November, 2012

SOURCE: Flight International

BY: Dave Majumdar

Washington DC

A new General Dynamics Canada modular VME acoustic signal processor (MVASP) is now fully operational onboard Canada's fleet of Lockheed Martin CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft with the delivery of the last system.

The MVASP is the main underwater detection system on the venerable four-engined turboprop and is used to locate and track underwater threats.

"As the primary sensor for underwater ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] on the Aurora, the MVASP leverages the latest innovations in parallel processing to provide enhanced detection and localization of underwater targets," says Peter Giles, product manager for underwater ISR at General Dynamics Canada. "Its advanced capabilities have been engineered to allow operators on fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft to find a target quickly and hold it for as long as necessary. This improves mission effectiveness by enabling more accurate underwater target analysis and identification."

The MVASP can process information from 32 sonobuoys. It is also designed to support any mix of analog, digital, passive or active acoustic data, General Dynamics says.

The company built the MVASP as part of Canada's Aurora incremental modernization project (AIMP). The AIMP programme is a mid-life upgrade to the Aurora, which is a derivative of the US Navy's P-3B Orion.